Alabama 300-mile rail, road transportation complex plans finalized

Ameri-Metro of York, Pa., and the Alabama Toll Facilities Inc (ATFI) have finalized plans to construct a 300-mile rail and road transportation complex from the vicinity of Orange Beach to the Tennessee state line. The project will also include the nation’s largest inland port facility projected for completion within the five years, according to Ameri-Metro.

The agreement comes in fulfillment of SJR 56, a 2007 Senate Resolution authorizing ATFI to “build, own, operate, and finance by issuing revenue bonds” the development of the transportation complex. ATFI has contracted with Ameri-Metro for the full project.

“This project – involving both a railway and road system, as well as an inland port — will greatly impact the immediate and long-term economic outlook for the entire region,” said Shah Mathias, CEO of Ameri-Metro. “Once completed, it will be the largest privately financed inland transportation complex in the nation.”

The project will begin development in the fall of 2012 with the construction of a four-lane limited access toll road from Orange Beach, Ala., to the area of Loretto, Tenn. The railway and road system is expected to generate a substantial amount of industrial activity, adding as many as 14,000 jobs to the Alabama job rolls at its inception.